Auto erase for stolen phone

I had my iPhone stolen and set up auto erase on ICloud for next time it’s connected to the internet. I just received a text from Apple saying my lost phone was connected to the internet and to click on a link. The link takes you to a page identical to an iPhone passcode screen and asks for the passcode for my stolen phone. Is this a legitimate precursor to the phone being erased? Or is it a scam by the thieves to get my passcode?

Thank you